The present invention relates to a drawer guide assembly for a movable structure such as a drawer in a furniture article, and more particularly to a new and improved drawer guide assembly which is concealed from view and allows for a wider and deeper drawer. The drawer guide assembly contains mirror image assemblies, each comprising a guide rail mountable to the interior of a furniture article in a generally horizontally disposed position and a pull-out rail mountable to the drawer, or other movable structure, and movable within the guide rail. Both the guide and pull-out rails are provided with one or more rotatable rollers mounted in fixed positions and upper and/or lower ledges which are in rolling contact with complementary rotatable rollers, thus enabling forward and rearward horizontal movement of the pull-out rail and carried structure on the fixed guide rail.
Various types of drawer guide assemblies are used for drawers housed by articles of furniture, such as desks and cabinets, to enable smooth and efficient extension of the drawers from within the furniture housing. Drawer guides are often used in pairs with each drawer guide assembly comprising two or more parts.
Drawer guide assemblies of the type of the present invention generally have a pull-out rail with a roller at or near the rear end of the rail and a guide rail with a roller at or near the front end of the rail. The pull-out rail roller rolls in a track within the guide rail, and a portion of the pull-out rail serves as a rolling surface for the guide rail roller. Generally, such two-part drawer guides also include a stop means which limits extension of a drawer to about three-fourths of the drawer depth. Such a means for limiting extension is necessary because, as the pull-out rail roller rolls forward and approaches the front end of the guide rail, the front of the drawer tends to sag or cantilever under the weight of the drawer and its contents.
Traditional approaches have addressed the problem of sagging or cantilevering when a drawer is extended by using drawer guide construction combining three parts. For example, a three-part drawer guide may use either an additional rail member disposed between the pull-out rail and the guide rail, or an additional running rail portion which can be extended and/or tilted about an axis. U.S. Pat. No. 4,557,531 to Rxc3x6ck et al. is an example of a three-part pull-out guide assembly which uses a pull-out rail, a support rail, and an intermediate roller carrier. In such constructions, three-part drawer guides are more complicated to manufacture. In order to obtain the desired advantages, such as ease of movement, a high load bearing ability, and a high transverse stability, these devices are constructed of multiple pieces which must be precisely manufactured and assembled at higher cost and labor intensity. Two-part drawer guide assemblies including a pull-out rail fastened to a drawer and a guide rail fastened to the corresponding side a furniture article interior are typically simpler and more cost-efficient to make.
Another disadvantage of conventional drawer guide assemblies is placement of one or more or the parts on the side of a drawer. As an example, each of the three parts in the Rxc3x6ck et al. guide assembly are mounted on the side of a drawer such that when the drawer is extended into open position, the guide assembly is in full view. Placement of guide assemblies on sides of drawers or other moveable structures diminishes the aesthetic appeal of an article of furniture. Fastening a pull-out rail underneath a drawer conceals the drawer guide from view so as to avoid detracting from the appearance of a furniture article. In addition, an undermount drawer guide assembly generally enables the use of a wider drawer within a drawer opening of a given width. U.S. Pat. No. 4,659,237 to Rapp illustrates a concealed guide rail assembly mounted underneath a drawer. While the Rapp patent provides a concealed undermount assembly, it uses a three-part pull-out guide, including a runner carriage between a supporting rail and a pull-out rail. Thus, there is a need for a drawer guide assembly that comprises two parts that can be concealably mounted underneath a drawer such that a drawer can be made as wide and as deep as possible.
Drawer guide assemblies have often exhibited other disadvantages. For example, drawers having pull-out rails easily movable upon guide rail rollers can accidentally open or fall completely out of an article of furniture when the furniture is tipped over or the drawer is pulled open with excessive force. Therefore, a drawer guide assembly using pull-out rails easily movable upon rollers would optimally include a means for preventing accidental opening and unintentionally pulling drawers completely out of a furniture housing.
Another disadvantage of drawer guide assemblies having pull-out rails in rolling contact with fixed guide rails is that forward and rearward horizontal movement of a pull-out rail and drawer may produce undesirable lateral movement of the pull-out rails and drawer. Such undesired lateral movement may cause disengagement of the pull-out rails from the guide rails. To overcome such disadvantages, drawer guide assemblies having pull-out rails in rolling contact with fixed guide rails would provide means for preventing disengagement of pull-out rails and guide rails from complementary rollers when a lateral force is applied to a drawer carried by the pull-out rail.
Thus, there remains a need for a drawer guide assembly that comprises two parts, that is mountable underneath a drawer such that the guide assembly is concealed and the drawer can be made as wide and deep as possible, and that overcomes disadvantages of prior assemblies.
It is a feature and advantage of the present invention to provide a two-part drawer guide assembly that overcomes the appearance problems and dimensional limitations of side-mounted and three-part guide assemblies. Another advantage of drawer guide assemblies of the present invention is improved cost efficiencies and ease of manufacture.
The general purpose of the present invention is to provide a new and improved drawer guide to be used at each side of a drawer to guide movement of the drawer into and out of a cabinet which provides advantages lacking in existing devices and none of the disadvantages. A drawer guide assembly of the present invention comprises a pull-out rail adapted for carrying a structure such as a drawer, and a guide rail adapted for mounting to the interior of an article of furniture, such as a cabinet, in a generally horizontally disposed position.
The pull-out rail of the present invention can be advantageously mounted on the underside of a drawer directly adjacent the side wall of the drawer and projecting downwardly below the underside of the drawer. Mounting the drawer guide assembly underneath a drawer allows the assembly to be concealed from view, thereby enhancing the appearance of the furniture article when the drawer is opened. Alternatively, if the side walls of the drawer are constituted by hollow profiles of metal or plastic materials or are open at the underside, a pull-out rail of the present invention may be mounted within the side wall of the drawer.
A pull-out rail of the present invention may include: a pull-out rail upper ledge in rolling contact with a guide rail roller so as to enable forward and rearward horizontal movement of the pull-out rail and carried structure; a pull-out rail roller in rolling contact with a guide rail lower ledge; a pull-out rail upper ledge flange in rolling contact with the guide rail roller; a pull-out rail lower ledge extending laterally from the pull-out rail upper ledge flange; an undermount attachment flange along the length of the pull-out rail for attaching the pull-out rail to the carried structure; a pull-out rail retaining member located in the pull-out rail upper ledge near the pull-out rail front end; a forward motion stop member located in the pull-out rail upper ledge near the pull-out rail rear end; and a means for mounting the pull-out rail to the rear end of a drawer or other carried structure.
A guide rail of the present invention, which is adapted for mounting to the housing of a furniture article, may include: a guide rail upper ledge capable of receiving the pull-out rail roller; a guide rail roller in rolling contact with the pull-out rail upper ledge; a guide rail lower ledge; a guide rail retaining member located in the guide rail lower ledge near the guide rail rear end; a rearward motion stop member located in the guide rail upper ledge near the guide rail rear end; a downwardly extending guide rail upper ledge flange and an upwardly extending guide rail lower ledge flange both in rolling contact with the pull-out rail roller; a guide rail front end mounting means; and a guide rail rear end mounting means.
In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the guide rail roller and the pull-out rail roller are substantially aligned in a horizontal plane. Such side-by-side relationship of the rollers is an advantage over the conventional offset, or top-to-bottom, relationship of rollers. Horizontal alignment of rollers allows for a more shallow space for mounting a pull-out rail underneath a drawer. As a result, carpentry specifications for manufacturing a drawer to accommodate an undermount pull-out rail would not have to be changed from a typical drawer design.
In an embodiment of the present invention, the pull-out rail includes an obliquely disposed retaining member located in the front end area of the pull-out rail upper ledge. The pull-out rail retaining member preferably has a run-in slope that is downward in the direction from the pull-out rail front end toward the pull-out rail rear end. The pull-out rail retaining member engages the guide rail roller when the pull-out rail is in a rearward position so as to resist forward movement of the pull-out rail and prevent undesired opening of a drawer.
An embodiment of the present invention includes a guide rail retaining member in the guide rail lower ledge proximate the guide rail rear end. The guide rail retaining member may be formed with a downward run-in slope toward the guide rail rear end, preferably parallel to the run-in slope of the pull-out rail retaining member. The guide rail retaining member serves as a rolling surface for the pull-out rail roller and improves the pull-in and staying-closed behavior of a drawer, especially in the case of drawers of little net weight and small load capacity. When the pull-out rail is moved inward in the closing direction of a drawer, the pull-out rail roller and guide rail roller simultaneously reach the guide rail retaining member and the pull-out rail retaining member, respectively. The pull-out rail roller rolls into the downwardly sloping guide rail retaining member, and the pull-out rail retaining member engages the guide rail roller, causing the pull-out rail, under the weight of the drawer, to roll downward along the slope of the pull-out rail retaining member to automatically close the drawer.
In order to limit further rearward movement of a pull-out rail and a carried drawer in the rearwardly disposed closed position of the drawer, the guide rail may be provided with a means for stopping further inward movement of the pull-out rail. In an embodiment of the present invention, a means for stopping further inward movement of the pull-out rail comprises a rearward motion stop member located on the guide rail upper ledge. The rearward motion stop member is positioned to prevent further inward movement of the pull-out rail at a predetermined point, for example, the point near the guide rail rear end at which a drawer is fully closed. The rearward motion stop member may be positioned at the most rearward point on the guide rail, which allows the rear end of a drawer to stop as close to the rear wall of the housing of a furniture article as possible, thereby permitting the greatest lengthwise drawer construction possible. A rearward motion stop member may be formed as a V-shaped projection depending downwardly from the guide rail upper ledge and configured to engage the pull-out rail roller.
An embodiment of the present invention may also comprise a pull-out rail forward motion stop means located proximate the rear end of the pull-out rail. The pull-out rail forward motion stop member may be configured to prevent further outward, or forward, movement of the pull-out rail at a predetermined point in which the carried structure is extended from the cabinet as far as it will extend. In a preferred embodiment, the pull-out rail forward motion stop member comprises at least one downwardly depending V-shaped projection formed in the pull-out rail upper ledge and configured to engage the guide rail roller. In a more preferred embodiment, a forward motion stop member comprises two downwardly depending projections formed in the pull-out rail upper ledge. The two downwardly depending projections are spaced apart to provide locking engagement of the guide rail roller between the two projections. The forward motion stop member with two projections thus provides a means for securing a drawer in position so that the drawer can be used to support a non-moving surface, for example, a cutting board.
In an embodiment of the present invention, the pull-out rail upper ledge includes a downwardly depending flange located along the longitudinal axis on the inside of the pull-out rail which engages the guide rail roller. In a preferred embodiment, the pull-out rail upper ledge also includes a downward projection located along the longitudinal axis of the pull-out rail and spaced from the pull-out rail upper ledge flange so as to provide a channel for continuous rolling engagement of the guide rail roller. The guide rail roller is effectively captured between the flange and the downward projection of the pull-out rail upper ledge. Thus, when a lateral force is applied to a drawer or other object carried by the pull-out rail, the pull-out rail upper ledge flange and downward projection prevent the pull-out rail from becoming disengaged from the guide rail roller.
In an embodiment of the present invention, the guide rail includes an upwardly projecting lower ledge flange and a downwardly protruding upper ledge flange. In combination with the pull-out rail upper ledge flange, the guide rail upwardly projecting lower ledge flange and downwardly projecting upper ledge flange significantly reduce side-to-side movement, or xe2x80x9cside play,xe2x80x9d of a drawer. As such, disengagement of a pull-out rail from a guide rail is prevented.
An embodiment of the present invention also comprises a pull-out rail lower ledge extending laterally from the downwardly depending flange of the pull-out rail upper ledge toward the pull-out rail roller. The pull-out rail lower ledge is located in substantial vertical alignment with the guide rail upper ledge flange and lower ledge flange. Such configuration of the guide rail upper ledge flange, guide rail lower ledge flange, and guide rail roller with the pull-out rail upper ledge flange, pull-out rail lower ledge, and pull-out rail roller prevents disengagement during movement of the pull-out rail along the guide rail. Additionally, the pull-out rail lower ledge, which rides underneath the guide rail upper ledge flange, and above the guide rail lower ledge flange, prevents the drawer or carried object from contacting the cabinet frame in the event that the cabinet is in other than its normally upright position, for example, during shipment.
A pull-out rail of the present invention may be mounted to a drawer or other carried object by use of a mounting means adapted for mounting the pull-out rail to the bottom of a side wall of a drawer and to the rear end wall of a drawer. Preferably, a pull-out rail comprises an undermount attachment flange extending laterally from the pull-out rail and having holes suitable for fasteners such as screws or nails. By fastening the undermount attachment flange to the bottom of a side wall of a drawer, the pull-out rail can be mounted in position for proper operation with a guide rail. A pull-out rail may be further fastened to a drawer by attaching a rear end mounting bracket to the pull-out rail and to the rear end wall of a drawer. In an embodiment, a pull-out rail rear end mounting bracket has an xe2x80x9cLxe2x80x9d shape with a horizontal shank and a vertical shank and is fixedly attached to the upper ledge and near the rear end of the pull-out rail.
A guide rail of the present invention may be mounted to the inside wall of an article of furniture or cabinet by use of mounting means for at least the guide rail front end and the guide rail rear end. A guide rail front end mounting bracket is preferably located on the outer side of the guide rail roller towards the cabinet wall. A guide rail rear end mounting bracket is preferably located at the end point of the guide rail and configured so as to permit mounting of the guide rail to the end wall of the cabinet and lateral adjustment of the guide rail subsequent to mounting. The guide rail rear end mounting bracket comprises a channel for adjustably receiving the guide rail rear end. In an embodiment, the guide rail rear end mounting bracket channel is a V-shaped notch. In embodiments, means for mounting a guide rail to a furniture article includes an intermediate guide rail mounting bracket and one of the guide rail front end mounting bracket and the guide rail rear end mounting bracket.
In another embodiment of the present invention, the pull-out rail lower ledge may include an extension which may be used for mounting to the front wall of a drawer. The pull-out rail lower ledge extension provides both additional strength for the pull-out rail which prevents bowing of the rail, and a means for easy alignment of the pull-out rail on the drawer or carried object during assembly.
A guide rail lower ledge of the present invention may also include an upwardly projecting flange. The guide rail lower ledge flange provides further strength to the guide rail to prevent disfigurement of the guide rail (for example, bowing). The guide rail lower ledge flange, in conjunction with the downwardly depending flange on the guide rail upper ledge, provides a capture of the pull-out rail roller and prevents disengagement (caused by excessive lateral movement, for example) of the pull-out rail from the guide rail.
The present invention has a variety of features and advantages. importantly, embodiments of the present invention address and overcome complications and disadvantages associated with conventional drawer guide assemblies. For example, rather than decreasing available space for drawer capacity by mounting guide rails on sides of drawers, a drawer guide assembly of the present invention mounted underneath a drawer provides the advantage of using the widest possible drawer within a drawer opening of a given width. Another advantage is that mounting a drawer guide assembly underneath a drawer allows the assembly to be concealed from view and enhance the appearance of a furniture article when the drawer is opened.
Another advantage of the present invention is that the guide rail roller and the pull-out rail roller are substantially aligned in a horizontal plane, which allows for a more shallow space for mounting a pull-out rail underneath a drawer. As a result, an undermount drawer guide assembly of the present invention can be used with a conventional drawer design. In addition, by requiring less space for a pull-out rail underneath a drawer, the present invention allows use of a deeper drawer than would typically be allowed with a conventional undermount guide.
Another advantage is that drawer guide assemblies of the present invention provide rearward motion stop means positioned at the most rearward point on a guide rail, which allows the rear end of a drawer to stop as close to the rear wall of a furniture article as possible, allowing use of a longer (front-to-back) drawer construction.
The present invention advantageously provides a simpler and more cost-effective drawer guide assembly, using two parts to prevent sagging and cantilevering when a drawer is extended to an open position. Use of a partial-extension drawer guide assembly provides the additional advantage of lower cost manufacture than full-extension drawer guides.
The present invention provides the advantage of a drawer guide assembly using forward motion stop means located near the rear end of the pull-out rail and configured to prevent further outward movement of the pull-out rail when a drawer is extended from a cabinet.
Another advantage is that a drawer guide assembly using pull-out rails easily movable upon rollers as in the present invention includes a means for preventing accidental opening and unintentionally pulling drawers completely out of a furniture housing.
Yet another advantage of the present invention is that drawer guide assemblies having pull-out rails in rolling contact with fixed guide rails are provided with means for preventing disengagement of pull-out rails and guide rails from complementary rollers when a lateral force is applied to a drawer.
The present invention provides the further advantage of various guide rail attachment options in a two-part, undermount drawer guide assembly.
The present invention is intended for use in pairs, that is, a right-hand drawer guide to support the right side of a drawer and a left-hand drawer guide to support the left side of the drawer. A left-hand drawer guide is a mirror image of a right-hand drawer guide. While a right-hand guide rail is illustrated in the drawings, the specification and claims relate equally to both left-hand and right-hand drawer guide assemblies.
There has been outlined rather broadly the more important features of the invention in order that the detailed description thereof that follows may be better understood and in order that the present contribution to the art may be better appreciated. In addition to aspects described above, other features of the invention will be described hereinafter and will form the subject matter of the claims appended hereto. In this respect, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited in its application to the details of construction and to the arrangement of the components set forth in the following description or illustrated in the drawings.
The invention is capable of other embodiments and of being practiced and carried out in various ways. It is to be further understood that the phraseology and terminology employed herein are for the purpose of description and should not be regarded as limiting. As such, those skilled in the art will appreciate that the conception upon which this disclosure is based may readily be utilized as a basis for the designing of other structures, methods, and systems for carrying out the several purposes of the present invention. It is important, therefore, that the claims be regarded as including such equivalent constructions insofar as they do not depart from the spirit and scope of the present invention.